Editorial: Abuse victims need separate waiting area

For victims of domestic violence, filing a protective order against the alleged abuser is an important step. But it can be a frightening and confusing experience.

Waiting inside the courthouse for the protective order hearing can be a major challenge to a victim's resolve. There, she must wait in the hallway, together with the alleged batterer. He is often accompanied by family members, friends and his attorney.

Sometimes the victim is accompanied by a friend or family member. Sometimes, if she thought to reach out to an organization such as Faith House, she is accompanied by a representative of that organization. Sometimes she is alone.

Often, the alleged perpetrator will approach the victim and try to intimidate her into dropping the charges against him. And often, he is successful, said Ralph Peters of the Family Violence Intervention Program, a former major with the Lafayette Police Department and retired Natchitoches chief of police.

That has to change.

There is the perception that often, abuse victims don't show up for court. But often they do, Peters said, and are "intimidated or coerced."

But there is a solution. Peters and others have recommended having a separate waiting room for abuse victims.

It's a solution that has worked in other jurisdictions and it can work here.

Melissa Scaia of the Advocates for Family Peace, a domestic violence advocacy group in Grand Rapids, Minn., told The Daily Advertiser such rooms have been available there since 2007.

"It makes all the difference," Scaia said. "There's a lot of things about sitting in the presence of people trying to intimidate you versus being in a space that feels comfortable, quiet and supportive."

In that jurisdiction, the court system has taken it a step further.

"The parking lot has been a problem, as well," Scaia said.

If necessary, the county's domestic violence investigator will meet the victim in the parking lot and escort her into the courthouse to the space that has been set aside.

That space is not used exclusively for domestic violence victims. A few rooms were carved out during a 2007 courthouse renovation for special uses.

Some days, they may be used by juveniles awaiting trial or by attorneys preparing to go into court. But domestic-violence and sexual assault victims take priority for use of the rooms, Scaia said.

This sounds like a sound solution that makes good use of the space when there are no domestic abuse victims going to court.

Art LeBreton of the Lafayette Parish Sheriff's Office has been working on finding such a space in the local courthouse that is "less intimidating" for those seeking protective orders.

His task has been made more difficult by the renovation project going on in the courthouse.

Until such a spot can be carved out, LeBreton said, officials are looking at the possibility of making courtrooms or jury deliberation rooms available when they are not in use.

Waiting rooms in the offices of support staff are also being looked at.

Meanwhile, the seventh floor, formerly used for storage, is being remodeled to accommodate judges' offices.

This could be the perfect time to find an adequate space that could be used as a waiting area for domestic violence victims and others going to court on sensitive matters.

We urge local officials to make this a priority.

Domestic violence is a problem here, as it is everywhere. There are no easy solutions, but providing a safe place for victims seeking protective orders or waiting to testify against an accused batterer could be an important step in helping victims of domestic violence through the first frightening and dangerous stages of ending the cycle of abuse.

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Editorial: Abuse victims need separate waiting area

For victims of domestic violence, filing a protective order against the alleged abuser is an important step. But it can be a frightening and confusing experience.